29th Chapter – Cannes Spring 2026
Go to the next chapter for our Cinque Terre trip
Cannes, Sunday, May 17, 2026
A few more shots at the festival.
Cannes, Friday, May 15, 2026
Andy and Michelle, our long-time friends from Aix-en-Provence, visited us today. We surveyed the festival sights and were joined by one of thier friends for cocktails on a nice terrace overlooking the festival.
Cannes, Sunday, May 12, 2026
A few sights from the opening day of the Cannes Film Festival.
Cannes, Saturday, May 11, 2026
The Cannes Film Festival begins tomorrow and runs through May 23. The village is coming to life.
Cannes, Saturday, May 9, 2026
I caught a really cute shot of Rebecca. Pretty hot for 72, eh?
Cannes, Friday, May 8, 2026
Today is VE Day in France.
We attended the American Club coffee today and saw some old friends.
Cannes, Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Nino and Sylvie invited us to thier club for lunch. Seeing them is always enjoyable
Cannes, Monday, May 4, 2026
Today I stopped in at the barber for my quarterly haircut.
Cannes, Sunday, May 3, 2026
Isabelle and Martin invited us and another couple, Helmut and Marie Christine, over for brunch today on thier terrace.
We had an enjoyable time.
Cannes, Friday, May 1, 2026
Today is May Day, a holiday in France.
Rebecca and I went to the Cinema, actually twice today. The first show was Hammet, which we rated so-so, and Michael, which was quite good.
Monaco, Friday, April 24, 2026
I joined my friend Bruce for a trip to Monaco to attend the time trials for the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.
The true stars of the show are undoubtedly these 3-litre racing cars that make the hearts of Formula 1 purists beat faster . Equipped mostly with the legendary Ford Cosworth DFV V8 , these engines revolutionized the world of motorsport from 1966 onwards, propelling the discipline to an unprecedented international dimension.
The field will bring together between 80 and 100 machines spread across categories D to G, all meticulously restored and maintained in exceptional original condition. These mechanical gems will display performance superior to their original specifications, benefiting from modern tires and contemporary safety standards to navigate the legendary Monaco circuit with remarkable efficiency.
We spent a few hours at the track and then caught lunch before returning home.
Gargas/Loumarin, Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Rebecca and I took a Cannes Senior trip to visit THE BROUUX MINES in Gergas.
In Gargas , in the heart of the Luberon Regional Natural Park , the Bruoux Mines invite you to experience a fascinating journey into the heart of ochre. Flaming cliffs, monumental underground galleries and spectacular landscapes create a setting that is as unique as it is striking.
Former ochre quarries exploited in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Bruoux Mines are today a major tourist site for understanding the history, geology, and industrial heritage linked to ochre in the Luberon.
It was a very early bus pick up at 5:45 AM, but the trip was quite interesting.
We had a group lunch at a local restaurant (Le Puits Fleuri), and the food was rather good.
After lunch, we visited Loumarin for a few hours before reboarding the bus for a ride home.
Cannes, Monday, April 20, 2026
We joined Lee and Jackie in a taxi to the Nice Airport to see them off. It was a very nice visit and great to see them again. While in Nice, I used the trip to visit the Nice Prefecture to pick up my Residence permit.
Arriving about an hour early for thier expected 1 PM opening, I was surprised to find no line. I was happy until I was informed by the security guards that the hours for Monday were 8:30 – 10 AM.
Ooops.
At least I was able to grab the tram to IKEA to return some goods while in town.
Villefranche-sur-Mer, Saturday, April 18, 2026
We visited Villefranche-sur-Mer to explore and have lunch (Mayssa Beach) on the waterfront. We invited our friend Veronika, who lives there, to join us. The food and company were excellent.
Cannes, Thursday, April 16, 2026
We took the ferry to Île Saint-Honorat, which is just offshore from Cannes and hosts a monastery.
Saint-Honorat Island has been home to a monastic community for 16 centuries. This long tradition has made it a unique cultural, natural and spiritual site.
Saint-Honorat Island is 1.5 km long and 400 m wide, including 8.5 hectares of vineyards. It belongs to the Cistercian Congregation of the Immaculate Conception. Within the island stands a monumental complex comprising a 19th-century abbey with a medieval cloister dating from the 12th-13th centuries, a monastery tower, and six chapels. Two cannonball ovens dating from 1793 are also located there.
We circumnavigated the island on foot and enjoyed its natural splendor. It was a big hit.
Cannes, Wednesday, April 15, 2026
We invited some friends to join us on our terrace for a bite to eat.
Cannes/Monaco, Saturday, April 11, 2026
We took the train to Monaco for a walking tour and lunch. From the train station, we grabbed a bus and went to the palace area.
We checked out the palace and toured the gardens.
About midday, we became hungry for lunch. Due to the time, several restaurants were closed. Rebecca called for a taxi, but it took too long to arrive, so we walked down from the palace to the street and finally found a restaurant that provided service. As it turned out, just around the corner were several additional restaurants that were open.
From there, we walked to the train station and returned home.
Cannes, Thursday, April 9, 2026
We took them on a walking tour of Cannes and had lunch at Bobo Restaurant.
Cannes, Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Rebecca’s sister Jackie and her husband Lee arrived today from Ft Wayne. They will be staying in our building, two floors below.
We met them at the Nice airport.
Cannes/Cervo, Italy, Thursday, April 2, 2026
Today we took an Italian adventure and visited Cervo, Italy, via train, which is a picturesque village on the Italian coast.
Cervo is a little town on the Italian Riviera, near Imperia. The medieval village lies on a hill above the sea but there is also a more modern area and a nice little beach from where you get great views of the village above. Like many other places in Italy, it has a long history.
The Romans settled here more than 2000 years ago, in the second century BC and used Cervo as a sort of stopping place along the Via Aurelia, which at the time was one of the main trade routes connecting Italy to France and Spain. Later on, in medieval times, Cervo was a shelter for pilgrims and later on, between the 14th and 17th centuries, it was repeatedly attacked by Saracen pirates because the main activity of the place was the trade of coral.
